commencement exercise
1
5.6
- noun
- /kəˈmɛnsmənt ˈɛksərˌsaɪz/
- Formal
:
ejercicio de graduación
- At the commencement exercise, the valedictorian gave an inspiring speech to encourage fellow graduates.
- college commencement exercises
- school commencement exercises
- commencement exercises for Harvard University
Examples
-
Hilda and I were waiting in Quetzaltenango for the commencement exercises to begin.
Blog text (33) -
While she and her husband were in Lincoln for commencement exercises, Leta asked Harry to take her to Wyuka Cemetery to select two burial plots.
Academic text (1990) -
Almost immediately, Rep. Adolph Brandt from Augusta tried to move the discussion to the next day when absent legislators would return from commencement exercises at the University of Georgia in Athens.
Academic text (2009) -
During the commencement exercise, graduates proudly accepted their diplomas in front of family and friends.
-
The university's commencement exercise was held outdoors, allowing everyone to celebrate under the sunshine.
Synonyms
90
2.0
A ceremony where students receive degrees or diplomas
31
6.5
A ceremony where students receive their degrees
25
6.3
A formal ceremony with speeches, for example at a graduation
1
3.5
A formal university event where graduates get their degrees and hear speeches
1
3.6
A ceremony where students get their diplomas
1
3.9
A day when a college or university gives degrees to graduating students in a ceremony
The day when a university celebrates students finishing their studies with a formal ceremony
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents denote a formal ceremonial event (commencement = awarding of degrees; exercise = formal ceremony), so their combination clearly signals a ceremonial occasion for graduates. The noun+noun composition follows standard English patterns and is cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Commencement exercise comes from the idea that commencement means 'beginning' rather than an end. Long ago, receiving a degree was seen as the start of a person's new life and exercise was a word for a formal public event, so the phrase means the formal ceremony that marks the start of a graduate's next stage.